Hundreds of Texans are experiencing significant disruptions in their internet and cellular services, according to reports on downdetector.com. The KVUE Defenders have received numerous complaints from residents in the Austin area who are struggling with either no cell service or internet connectivity issues.
Major service providers, including T-Mobile, AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, and Spectrum, have acknowledged the problems and are working diligently to resolve them. However, the exact timeline for restoration remains uncertain.
Downdetector.com, a website that tracks service outages through social media and self-reports, has shown a notable increase in outage reports for these providers. T-Mobile had 326 reports earlier on Monday afternoon, AT&T had 65, and Sprint had 41. Verizon saw slightly more reports with 86, while Spectrum had a staggering 710 reports around 7:45 a.m. on Monday.
A spokesperson for Verizon commented on the situation, stating, “Despite widespread power outages throughout Texas, Verizon’s network is performing well in the Austin area. Our backup generators and redundant fiber rings for cell sites and switching centers are serving their intended purpose and keeping the vast majority of the network running and customers and first responders connected. For the sites that are impacted throughout Austin, including a cluster of sites south of the Colorado River along I-290, our engineers and vendor partners are working quickly to restore service.”
Similarly, an AT&T spokesperson provided a statement addressing the issues: “We continue to closely monitor Winter Storm Uri. Commercial power outages and damage from snow and ice may be affecting service for some wireless and wireline customers. Technicians are deploying generators as needed and are working to restore service as quickly and as safely as conditions allow. Our Network Disaster Recovery (NDR) team is on standby and prepared to deploy additional assets if needed.”
Spectrum also acknowledged the disruptions in a tweet earlier on Monday, stating, “Spectrum customers in Texas are experiencing service interruptions related to winter weather causing commercial power outages and downed lines. As conditions allow, we will be working to restore services. We apologize and thank you for your patience.”
While service providers are making efforts to fix the issues, many people in the Austin area remain without power. Austin Energy officials have indicated that these outages could persist until Tuesday.
In a related incident, Spectrum reported an outage affecting Texas customers on Tuesday, July 9. This outage impacted some services at the Comptroller’s office, including customer phone support, which experienced intermittent problems.
The situation is reminiscent of another recent outage that affected many Spectrum customers across Tampa Bay. On a Saturday morning, residents woke up to find their internet down, and some AT&T customers also reported no data or cell service. The outage disrupted small businesses and even caused issues at Tropicana Field, where officials had to set up a backup server before a game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the New York Yankees.
Lorelie Johnson of Charter Communications, the parent company of Spectrum, explained that an electrical fire on a utility pole in Pinellas Park damaged a fiber cable, causing the widespread outage. The fire occurred early Saturday morning, and Spectrum teams had to wait for the utility company to secure the area before they could begin repairs. Service began to be restored around 3 p.m. and was fully back by 4:30 p.m.
An AT&T spokesperson confirmed that some wireless customers in the St. Petersburg area might have been affected by an outage on another carrier’s network. By the afternoon, service had been restored and was operating normally.
The service tracking website downdetector.com started reporting issues in the area around 6:45 a.m. By 8:48 a.m., reports of outages had spiked to over 1,000 in Tampa, with hundreds more in St. Petersburg and dozens in Clearwater.
At Tropicana Field, security faced challenges scanning in attendees due to the outage. Team representatives worked to get a backup server online, and by 2:30 p.m., the scoreboard was operational again.
On social media, several Spectrum customers reached out for updates. The @Ask_Spectrum account responded, stating that fiber crews were working to repair the cable but did not provide an estimated time for restoration.
As Texans continue to deal with these disruptions, service providers are under pressure to restore connectivity as quickly as possible. The situation highlights the vulnerability of modern infrastructure to weather-related events and the critical importance of reliable communication services.
Source: KVUE, Tampa Bay Times
